Kate and Alexis
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: This story begins three days after Number One Fan and explores Alexis' reaction to Castle being shot and how Beckett and Castle cope with it. Of course, there is also a crime to solve. As always, I own nothing. I'll post chapters until the story tells me that it is done -or you do. Now, after Time Will Tell, AU. I'll try to make it converge. Follow me on twitter @CheerfulChemist
1. Chapter 1

Alexis and Kate

Chapter 1

"Dad," Alexis yelled going through her father's office and into his bedroom, "Gram is making pancakes, you've got to..." Alexis caught site of Richard Castle untangling himself from Kate Beckett. "stop her," she finished softly. "Sorry, I didn't know Detective Beckett was here," Alexis apologized and strode out of the room.

Castle got up, grabbing his robe, "I'll go talk to her."

Beckett grabbed his arm. "Let me," she said.

Kate found Alexis in the kitchen, dumping pancake batter down the disposal. As Kate approached, Alexis flipped the switch and the machine ground noisily to life. "Alexis!" Kate called to no response. Kate entered the kitchen and flipped off the disposal. "Alexis," she said."We need to talk about this. Is it upsetting for you to see me in bed with your father?"

Alexis turned to face Kate with fury on her face. "Upsetting to find you two in bed? No! That's probably the only place that he's safe with you. Since he's been with you he's nearly frozen to death, nearly been blown up twice, been poisoned, nearly drowned, and three days ago he was shot. If that bullet had just been a little bit higher, he'd be dead! So Detective Beckett, I wish you'd just be with him in bed and nowhere else. Maybe he'd stay alive!"

Alexis slammed the batter bowl into the sink and ran upstairs into the arms of Pi who was standing on the landing. Pi put an arm around her shoulders and led her to her room.

Castle walked into the kitchen. "Did you hear that?" Beckett asked.

"I think the neighborhood heard that," Castle replied. He wrapped his arms around Kate and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'm sorry," he said.

Kate snuggled into his warm chest. "Why should you be sorry?" she asked. "Alexis is right. Working with me you've nearly died. She doesn't want to lose her dad. I get it. I don't want to lose you either."

"Kate, That's not fair," Castle protested. You've saved my life so many times that I've finally lost count."

Kate shook her head dejectedly. "Alexis doesn't see it that way."

Castle pulled her close and murmured into her hair, "We'll work it out."

Martha came down the stairs from where Alexis had banished her to her room. "I think you had better make the happy face pancakes," Richard," she told Castle.

"Mother," Castle answered. "I don't think that will do it."

Castle and Beckett had just finished getting dressed and were catching the news on the screen in his office. The 12th Precinct was on the screen. The voice of the newscaster came,"We repeat that a bomb went off in the basement of the 12th Precinct of the NYPD. The blast occurred only minutes ago. The extent of damage and injuries is not yet know. We will stay on this story to bring you the details as they develop."

Beckett grabbed her weapon and ran for the door of the loft. Castle followed her. Beckett turned to face him "Castle, maybe under the circumstances you should stay here."

Castle looked her straight in the eyes. "Not a chance!"

Wanting as much speed as they could get, they took Castle's Ferrari. They were at the precinct in less than ten minutes, but there was no place nearby to park. Beckett took a police placard that they had used on a previous case out of the glove box and put it on the dash and they ran toward the building. Captain Gates, Ryan, and Esposito were outside. Beckett approached Captain Gates. "What happened, sir?" she asked.

"We don't know that much, but it looks like a bomb went off in the basement where the records are stored. A few people are being treated for smoke inhalation, but as far as we can tell, no one was seriously hurt. The records are a complete loss, though. The bomb disposal unit is doing a complete search of the building to see if there are any more bombs. As soon as they're through, forensics will go in. Right now, no one else is allowed in the building."

Beckett went to Ryan and Esposito to assure herself that they were all right. Beckett gave each of them a hug and Castle slapped them on the back. "It looks like we can't do anything right now," Castle said. "I'm starved. Why don't I buy you all breakfast?" They all agreed and were soon gathered around a table at Remy's. Given the lack of injuries, the mood was pretty up. Beckett completely forgot about her conversation with Alexis. The respite was not to last. Notices went out on the cell phones of everyone assigned to the 12th that the building would be closed at least until early evening. Castle and Beckett headed back to the loft.

Alexis either stayed in her room or maintained stony silence when she was downstairs. Castle decided to make pasta carbonara to cheer Alexis up. She refused to eat it, joining Pi in consuming a collection of fruit dishes. Finally Beckett's cell phone buzzed and she and Castle returned to the 12th.

Captain Gates gave a briefing. The CSU had recovered several pieces of the bomb, one of which had a partial print. It was matched to a small time con, Percy Strong, recently released from Riker's. Several marked units had been sent to arrest him at the address that he had registered with his parole officer. He wasn't there. The first priority was to track him down. Ryan examined traffic video, both around the SRO where Strong was staying and around the 12th. Esposito searched Strong's financials and flagged any credit or debit cards. Beckett and Castle went to interview Strong's girlfriend Tricia Chernik.

Tricia lived in a locked building. It was necessary to ring a bell at the front door. A tenant could then push a button to release the door. No sooner had Beckett rung the bell than she and Castle heard the distinctive grating sound of a fire escape ladder coming down. Beckett pulled her gun and approached the fire escape yelling "Stop! Police!" Castle was not far behind her. Strong jumped off the ladder going feet first into Beckett, knocking her down. Beckett's gun skittered across the sidewalk. Castle caught it and pointed it at Strong. "On your knees, scumbag!" he yelled. "Hands behind your head!" Strong looked at the gun and the fierce look on Castle's face and knelt on the sidewalk. Castle kept the gun trained on Strong. "Beckett, are you OK?" he called.

"Fine Castle," Beckett answered getting to her feet. She pulled out her cuffs and placed them none to gently on Strong's wrists.

Beckett and Castle sat across from Percy Strong in the interrogation room. "You've already got two strikes Strong. Bombing a police station, attacking a police officer, you're going away for ever," Beckett told Strong. "The only way you can help yourself is to tell us who you're working for. Give us your boss and we'll ask the D.A. to cut you a deal."

"I don't know who it was," Strong said. "I just got a phone call. He left money at a drop. I did the job."

"All right," Beckett told him. "You are going to give us your phone and anything you have from that drop including the money." Castle continued to fix Strong with the penetrating stare that he had given him after Strong knocked Beckett to the ground. Strong looked back and forth between Castle and Beckett and agreed to what Beckett asked. With the adrenaline fading, Beckett turned Strong over to Ryan and Esposito, who had been watching the interrogation through the one way mirror. She let Castle take her back to the loft.

Beckett lay back on Castle's bed fully dressed with her eyes closed. Castle ran a warm bath, adding soothingly scented bubbles. He undressed Beckett, and supported her weight with an arm around her while she climbed into the tub. Castle undressed and climbed in behind her, letting her lean against him. Bruises were blooming on Beckett's chest where she had been kicked by Strong, as well as on her back and shoulders where they hit the pavement. Beckett leaned against Castle with her eyes closed while he gently ran a warm washcloth over her body. After he felt her body fully relax, Castle helped her out of the tub and wrapped her in a fluffy bath sheet. Draped in one of Castle's t-shirts, Beckett slept in Castle's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Morning came too soon for Beckett. Her body was stiff and she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed, but the search for the jerk behind the bombing couldn't wait. Castle came in with a tray with two lattes, two glasses of juice, and two ibuprofen. He was fully dressed, wearing one of the blue shirts that matched his eyes. Beckett drew herself up against the headboard and smiled at the hearts on the lattes. She took the ibuprofen with her juice and started on her latte. "When you feel up to it, I have eggs and bacon in the kitchen," Castle told her. "Pi cringed in horror."

About half way through her latte, Beckett put on her own clothes and made her way to the kitchen. Castle placed a plate of crisp bacon in front of her and poured an egg mixture into a hot pan for a quick scramble. Alexis was nowhere to be seen, but right now Beckett and Castle had other things to worry about. Beckett's cell buzzed. It was Esposito. He reported that the call that Percy Strong had received about the bombing had come from a burner and wasn't traceable, but that multiple prints had been found on the cash Strong turned over. Several of the prints had been identified. Beckett took a few quick bites of her breakfast and she and Castle took a cab to the 12th.

Ryan and Esposito had set up a board with DMV photos of the people who matched the prints found on Strong's cash. There were four of them, Marie Curtain, a bank employee, Jim Beakman, a sales clerk at Radio Shack, Amos Bledsoe, a cashier at Off Track Betting, and Marie Meacham, a civilian employee of the narcotics squad at the 56th. Ryan and Esposito took Curtain and Beakman. Beckett and Castle took Bledsoe and Meacham.

Beckett and Castle found Amos Bledsoe counting cash, lots of cash, at his station at OTB. He told them that he handled cash all day long. He had no idea where it came from or what winners it might be given to. He was able to tell them that a great deal more cash came in than went out. There was a list of large transactions that had to be reported to the IRS. He agreed to e-mail Beckett a list.

Marnie Meacham was anxious to be helpful. She enthusiastically described her duties, which involved logging in cash seized in drug raids.

"What happens to it after it's logged in?" Castle asked.

"It goes to evidence," she told him smiling broadly. "After a case is settled, a portion of it may be used for police purposes. The more money that is seized, the better job we, the NYPD can do. I love my work!"

"Do you keep records of serial numbers?" Castle asked. Mary continued smiling and turned to Beckett. "I'll send you a list."

Beckett thanked her and she and Castle left. As soon as they were out the door of the 56th, Beckett began to laugh. Castle was always glad to see a smile on her face, but he was curious as to the cause. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"She's a blue groupie," Beckett explained. "She gets off on being around cops." She grinned at Castle. "Kind of like you."

Castle turned Beckett towards him and gave her a light kiss. "I'm only a groupie of one cop," he told her, "you."

Beckett sighed. "I wish I could say the same about your daughter," she told him.

Castle put an arm around Beckett's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah," he said. "Me too."

Ryan and Esposito reported the results of their interviews. Marie Curtain was a teller at First Second Bank. She handled bills all day, every day, much like Amos Bledsoe. She was also able to provide a list of large transactions. Beakman explained to Ryan and Esposito that most of his transactions were by credit card. He had received one payment involving a hundred dollar bill. He remembered it because it was unusual. The bill went to First Second Bank in a regular deposit.

First Second Bank was a common factor. Beckett wrote it on the board and drew a line connecting Beakman and Curtain.

Beckett and Castle spent the rest of the day working through the lists of transactions that they received from Amos Bledsoe and Marnie Meacham. Finally they decided to call it a day. Castle rotated his shoulders to get the kinks out and reached out to massage Beckett's neck. "Alexis and Pi will probably be diving into a pile of fruit," Castle said with a grimace. "What do you feel like?"

Beckett thought for a minute. "Some kind of comfort food," she suggested.

Castle smiled. "I know just the place." Castle hailed a cab and gave the driver an address Beckett didn't recognize. They arrived at an old-fashioned diner called Comfort Car. There were booths with seats upholstered in red leather and menus featuring a compendium of comfort. After considering pot roast, meat loaf, and turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes, Beckett and Castle both settled on macaroni and cheese, accompanied by hot chocolate. By the time they finished, Beckett was feeling pleasantly sleepy. She snuggled into Castle's shoulder in the back seat of the cab they took back to the loft. They came through the door to find Alexis and Pi vigorously making out on the couch. Castle coughed loudly.

Pi released Alexis, who looked angrily at her father and even more angrily at Beckett. "We weren't doing anything you don't do," Alexis hissed."

"I'm sure that's true," Castle told her, "but Beckett and I are adults, we're engaged, and neither one of us is living in our father's house."

"Fine!" Alexis spat and strode up the stairs to her room. Pi looked at Castle and just shrugged his shoulders.

Castle twined his hand with Beckett's. They went into his bedroom and Castle made sure that he locked the door behind them. Castle fell backward on the bed and covered his eyes with his forearm. Beckett lay down next him, putting her head on his chest. Castle took a deep breath and put an arm around her, pulling her closer. "I've never yelled at Alexis before in my life," he told her. "I never had to. She always did the right thing, even when I didn't. What happened to my little girl?"

Beckett lifted her head and laid a kiss on his lips and stroked his hair. "She's growing up, Castle. That's painful, for both of you."

Castle put both arms around Beckett and pulled her tightly to his body. He kissed her hair. "You've got that right," he whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Castle woke while it was still dark, still wearing yesterday's clothes and with Beckett still in his arms. He felt an incredible surge of need, almost reliving the night she had shown up soaked with rain and full of regrets. He had been a starving man then and only she could fill the emptiness left by years of longing. Now new fear was creeping in. The unshakeable love from his daughter that he had held tightly to his heart for the last nineteen years seemed to be slipping away. He had always needed love as much as he needed air, but now the love he needed most lay right there against his chest. Castle brushed Beckett's hair from her face and kissed her temple. She stirred. He trailed kisses down her face to her neck. Beckett opened her eyes. Castle turned and pulled her beneath him, ripping clothes aside. He wanted to kiss her everywhere. Beckett reached up and opened his shirt. He kissed the scar between her breasts. She kissed the bruise still evident on his chest. He pulled off her bra and her shirt. She pulled of his shirt as well. They feasted on each other in frantic desperation until they reached the peak and peace finally came. They rested in each other's arms until the sun rose.

The silence was shattered by the sound of Pi's juicer. Castle and Beckett climbed into the double headed shower and turned it up full blast to muffle the noise. They took their time, leisurely washing each other's bodies and each other's bruises. "We're quite a pair," aren't we, Castle said as he ran a washcloth over the blue marks still evident on Beckett's shoulders.

"We take a licking and we keep on kicking," Beckett told him.

Castle grinned, his cheeks dimpling and his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Now you're quoting Timex ads?" Castle teased. "You're as much of a TV geek as I am."

Beckett gave him a sudsy punch in the arm. "You think of telling anyone, and you'd better remember I have a gun," she warned.

"Duly noted," Castle agreed.

After Beckett and Castle dried off and dressed, they went to the kitchen, desperately seeking coffee before leaving for the 12th. Alexis, Pi, and Martha were all there. Alexis started to walk away, but Martha grabbed her arm and Pi came out from behind the counter to put an arm around her shoulders. Martha nodded at him. "Babe," Pi said, "you need some healing. Hating another person is like trying to kill them by drinking poison yourself. All the fruit in the world won't cure that. You should talk to Mrs. C to be."

Castle was very surprised to hear something useful or even insightful coming out of Pi's mouth, but he decided to go with it. Alexis was not so easily swayed. "I'll talk to Dad," she said, "But not to Detective Beckett."

"Alexis!" Castle exclaimed angrily.

Beckett touched his arm. "Talk to her," she whispered.

Alexis and Castle went into his office and closed the door. "Alexis," you know I love you, right?" He began.

"That's what you said when you thought you'd die," Alexis told him. "I know you love me, but you could leave me. Every day you go out with Beckett I'm afraid you won't come back. When she called us to come to the hospital in Washington, I really thought you were going to die. You almost did. Then three days ago I heard on the news that Richard Castle had been shot. I didn't know you had a vest. If Pi hadn't been with me, I would have come completely apart. You've always been there for me. I could always depend on that. When I was in that cage in Paris, I knew that you'd get me out, and you did. But now I'm not sure anymore and it scares me to death."

Castle wrapped his arms around Alexis and held her tight. "I feel the same way about Beckett. When she was shot, she died in the ambulance. I felt like I died with her. But we never know how much time we have with anyone. Beckett goes through every door first. Every time she does, it terrifies me. She didn't want me to have anything to do with her case in Washington. She found the antidote to save me. She didn't want me to go get the hostages out. She wouldn't even let me joke about getting shot. She's as afraid for me as you are. I'm safer with her than without her. I love her and I need her with me. That's not going to change."

"Dad, I don't know what to do," Alexis told him.

"I'm not sure I do either, but I'll tell you what you won't do. Neither you nor Pi will come into my room without knocking when Beckett is there. I'll have to work on your grandmother on that one too. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Alexis answered.

"In exchange," Castle promised, "I will make as much noise as possible before I come through the front door."

Alexis smiled."OK," she said with a bit of her father's twinkle in her eyes.

Beckett had spent the time during Castle and Alexis' heart to heart making coffee, although she had yet to master the art of making hearts. As late as it was getting, she poured the coffees into traveling mugs. She and Castle grabbed their mugs, took the Ferrari for speed, and drove to the precinct.

They dived into the list of serial numbers that Marnie Meacham had e-mailed to Beckett. It was a long list and there were a lot of serial numbers to check. As a speed reader, Castle was faster than Beckett, but it was still a mind numbing task. Beckett was a bit wistful about how quickly Richmond might have accomplished the task at the FBI, but the 12th had to make the best of the tools it had. Around one o'clock Castle went out and brought back Chinese food for himself and Beckett as well as Ryan and Esposito. They all continued to work until late afternoon when Castle found a match. Several serial numbers from cash seized from a meth lab matched the cash from Strong.

Castle and Beckett returned to the 56th to gather more details about the seizure of the cash. Due to his experience with the 56th, Esposito accompanied them. They spoke to Jerry Coyle, the detective in charge of the raid. Coyle was more than a little puzzled. "Those bills shouldn't have gone anywhere," he told them. "They're still supposed to be in evidence." The four of them went down to the evidence room to check on the cash. The bills had been stored in several bundles. One bundle of ninety five hundred dollars was missing. Esposito remained with Jerry Coyle to put together a list of people who might have had access to the cash. Beckett and Castle returned to the 12th and the white board. It was already on the board that Percy Strong had received ten thousand dollars to set the bomb. The seizure funds from the 56th accounted for ninety five hundred. It was probable that the other five hundred came from First Second bank. It was long after bankers hours. Beckett and Castle agreed to pursue the extra five hundred dollars in the morning.

"You want to grab dinner somewhere?' Castle asked Beckett.

Beckett stretched her neck and rotated her shoulders. "It's been along day, Castle. Let's go back to the loft.

"I can make omelets," Castle suggested. Beckett nodded. The Ferrari made quick business of the trip. True to his word, Castle talked loudly and shuffled his feet before unlocking the door to the loft. When he and Beckett came in, if Castle ignored the state of Alexis' hair, Alexis and Pi were the picture of innocence watching a movie. Alexis smiled at her father, although not at Beckett, but she didn't glare either.

Castle made some quick omelets with mushrooms, avoiding peppers and shallots before bed. He purposely poured Beckett's favorite red wine. When Beckett was pleasantly fuzzy and spacy, Castle led her to the bedroom. Even though he trusted Alexis to keep her word, he wasn't as certain about Martha. He locked the door. Beckett climbed onto the bed and started to unbutton her top. "Oh Castle, are you coming?" she called. Castle gave his trademark grin and joined her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Beckett woke up very thirsty and a little muzzy. She drank a full glass of water in the bathroom then splashed water on her face, brushed her teeth, and came back to wake Castle. She almost hated to do it. He looked so beautiful in sleep, younger, with the lines between his brows and under his eyes relaxed away. He was looking really good these days anyway. Beckett was pretty sure that he had lost weight during the months they had been apart. He certainly lost some when he was poisoned. As she looked down, she couldn't resist stroking his hair. "Kate," he sighed, "hi." Beckett pulled back.

"Oh," Castle said, "do I?"

Beckett nodded and Castle went to the bathroom to brush his own teeth. He returned to the edge of the bed, putting his hands behind her and pulling her hips tightly against his. "Where were we?" he asked.

"Right about here," Beckett answered combing her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and pulling his lips to hers.

The alarm on Beckett's cell phone buzzed. She reached to shut it off. Arms still around each other, she looked at him. "Shower?" she asked.

"Shower," he agreed.

Awake, clean, and dressed, Castle went to the kitchen to make lattes while Beckett finished blowing out her hair. Pi still snored on the couch. Castle found a note on the counter that Alexis and Martha had gone to a sunrise spa, whatever that was. Castle was just doing a quick morning scramble when Beckett wandered in. He put a finger to his lips and pointed to Pi. She nodded. Castle loaded the food onto a tray and they went back to the bedroom for an improvised bed picnic.

Castle and Beckett took a cab to the 12th. Beckett immediately made a call to the First Second Bank to ask for their records of recent $500 withdrawals. She was informed that the bank would require a warrant, so she filled out the paperwork and she and Castle went to see Judge Markaway. The judge was playing an early morning round of golf.

"Castle," he called "going to give me a chance to win my money back? And Detective Beckett, how is the bride to be?"

"I'm just fine, Your Honor, but this isn't a social call," Beckett told him. "We need some bank records to track down whoever ordered the bombing in the 12th and First Second won't ante up without a warrant."

"Well I can understand that," Markaway told her. "banks aren't exactly service organizations these days. Let me see your paperwork." Judge Markaway perused Beckett's application, supported it on Castle's back and signed it. "Good luck guys," he said. "We don't need to have any more police stations blow up."

Beckett and Castle went straight from the golf course to First Second Bank, warrant in hand. After presenting it to the bank manager, Mr. Foley, his assistant, Grace Jergan generated a list, ripped a CD, and handed it to Beckett. Beckett thanked her and she and Castle returned to the 12th. Beckett uploaded the bank file. Esposito had the list of people who had access to the evidence room at the 56th that he and Jerry Coyle had prepared. Beckett ran a name search for the names on Esposito's list on the file from the bank. There was a match, Marnie Meacham. "Let's get the bitch," Esposito said. After a quick call to Jerry Coyle, Esposito, Ryan, Beckett and Castle went to the 56th to pick up the groupie.

Marnie Meacham was brought back to the 12th and put in the box. She sat opposite Beckett and Castle with Ryan, Esposito, and Captain Gates looking through the one way mirror. Marnie looked scared.

"Ms. Meacham," Beckett began, "do you have an account at First Second Bank?"

"Yes," she answered. "Why?"

Beckett ignored the question and continued

"Did you withdraw $500?"

"Yes, my niece got married. It was a wedding present."

"Was the $9500 a wedding present too?" Castle asked.

Marnie started to shake, "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Beckett stood up and stared down at Marnie. "$9500 missing from evidence at the 56th, cash given to Percy Strong to put at bomb in our basement. $500 from First Second Bank, also given to Percy Strong. You took $500 out of First Second Bank. Are you trying to tell me that's a coincidence?"

Marnie started to cry. "You don't understand. "That sonofabitch said he'd blow up the 56th if I didn't give him the money. Those are all my friends."

"Why didn't you tell the boys at the 56th?" Beckett asked.

"It's my ex-husband, George Meacham. He told me that if I said anything, he'd take my kids."

Beckett pushed a pad of paper toward Marnie. Give me his address. Marnie shakily wrote it down.

Captain Gates led a force including Beckett, Esposito, Ryan and a number of marked cars to pick up George Meacham. When Castle started to follow, Beckett put her hands on his chest. "Castle," she said. "you don't even have a new vest yet. I'm asking you, as the woman who loves you, please stay back." Castle nodded and went to stand behind the line of police cars. A news van set up nearby.

Esposito banged on the door yelling,"George Meacham, we have a warrant for your arrest. Come out now and no one needs to get hurt." There was no answer. Esposito kicked in the door and he, Ryan, Beckett and four cops in tactical gear went in to get Meacham, who was armed and stupid enough to point a gun at Esposito. Meacham went down with one shot in the shoulder and another shot in the leg. As the EMT's loaded him onto a gurney, Captain Gates herself told Meacham that he was under arrest and read him his rights. "I want a lawyer," Meacham yelled as he was loaded into the ambulance.

After Meacham had been driven off, Castle invited everyone to the Olde Haunt to decompress. It was late by the time He and Beckett got back to the loft, carefully making happy noises as they approached. They were met by Alexis, blue eyes blazing. "I saw the news. A shootout!" she yelled at Beckett. You took him to another shootout!"

"Whoa, Alexis! I was nowhere near the action. Beckett saw to that. She went in but I didn't and nobody but the bad guy got hurt. I'm fine," Castle soothed.

Alexis started to cry "I can't take this," she sobbed and ran into Pi's arms.

Castle started to approach. "I'll take care of her, Mr. C," Pi said.

Castle put an arm around Beckett and muttered,"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of." Castle and Beckett retreated to the bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Kate. This isn't the Alexis I know," Castle said.

"Castle, I know. Alexis has always been a much better kid than you deserved."

"Hey!" Castle protested. Then he stroked her cheek. "You're right. She's always been the responsible one. I don't know where she got it. I don't understand any of this."

"I don't know, Rick. Maybe it was Paris. Maybe it was Washington, you getting shot, our engagement or all of those things. But we need to find out what's going on to help her."

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" Castle asked tenderly. "Alexis screamed at you and you just want to help."

"I love you and she's part of you, besides I've been there. You wanted to love me and I pushed you away because I couldn't deal with my own pain. But we got past it. Alexis can get past this."

Castle held Beckett's head with a large hand on either side of he face. "I love you," he breathed against her face and brought her lips to his in a deep healing kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Beckett awoke to find Castle propped on one elbow and staring down at her. "What are you looking at,"Castle?" she asked.

"You," Castle told her. "Sometimes I just can't believe you're here."

"Castle, sometimes I can't believe it either after all that's happened. But," she said lifting her head to kiss his lips, 'Most of the time I'm glad." A knock sounded at the door. "And then again..."

"Richard," Martha called, "phone for Katherine." Castle covered his face with a pillow in frustration as Beckett pulled on a robe and headed for the door.

Beckett returned almost immediately. "That was Captain Gates. She got a call from Meacham's lawyer, Larry Pick. He says that Meacham is just a middle man and he wants to make a deal to tell us who's really behind the bombing.

"Pick the dick?" asked Castle.

"That's him," Beckett affirmed. "He's going to be at the precinct in an hour."

"He's a dick all right," Castle muttered, slamming his pillow against the bed. They took a shower that was too quick to be anything else, got dressed and went to the 12th, not even stopping for lattes.

Beckett and Castle arrived at the precinct to find that Larry Pick had yet to show up. Castle went straight for the espresso machine and prepared the morning jolt for Beckett and himself. Beckett met with Captain Gates in her office to discuss strategy. Larry Pick arrived an hour late and sat down with Gates and Beckett in the interrogation room. Castle watched through the mirror.

"The deal is simple," Pick told them. "We give you the name of the man in charge and my client gets witness protection and walks."

"Your client is responsible for bombing a police station, not to mention conspiracy to commit theft and threatening his ex-wife," Gates told him. "The only place he is walking is jail. Now if you'd like to talk to us about asking the D.A. to knock a couple of years off his sentence, we might listen."

"No deal," Pick insisted. "You give us what we want or my client takes his chances at trial, because if the big cheese gets wind that he's spilled anything, he'll get a lot worse than jail."

"If that's what you're worried about," Beckett interjected, "we can see that he doesn't go into the general prison population."

"You don't understand," Pick told her. "This guy can reach him anywhere. Either my client gets the whole deal or it's no deal." Beckett found it all too eerily familiar. The idea of someone pulling strings to get at cops was chilling, but she kept her poker face.

Gates and Beckett looked at each other and got up and left the room, joining Castle in observation. Once they were there, Beckett said "Sir, if there is someone big behind all this, we need to get him."

Gates shook her head. "The D.A. will never go for it. Making a deal with someone who bombed a police station would be political suicide, even to get somebody bigger. The whole city saw us get Meacham on the news. They're going to want to see him pay."

Beckett knew all too well about the news coverage. It highlighted a problem she and Castle would still have to cope with. "Yes sir," she agreed. "We'll find another way to get the man behind all this."

Beckett went to the break room with Castle on her heels. He closed the door behind them and put his arms around her.

"Workplace, Castle," she reminded him.

Castle looked around. "No one can see. Are you all right?"

"Yes," Beckett said automatically and then she shook her head. "No. Castle in some ways this is my mother all over again. Some dirtbag is pulling strings behind the scenes and scares people too much to roll on him."

Castle put a hand under Beckett's chin. "Hey," he said. "Nobody is dead. This guy is no Bracken. We're going to get him, with or without Meacham. You know that we've done a lot more with much less of a place to start."

Beckett smiled."Yeah."

Castle put his arms around her again and kissed the top of her head. "That's my partner."

Returning to the bullpen, Beckett called Ryan and Esposito over. Beckett slapped a picture of George Meacham up on the white board. "We need everything on this guy, she told them. "Ryan, I need you to check out his financials. We need to find any payments he's gotten and where they came from. Espo, I need you to check phone records. Castle and I will check out his associates. We need to know who was pulling his strings. They all went to their respective tasks.

As was his habit, around one o'clock Castle went out and got lunch for Ryan, Esposito, Beckett and himself. Today it was burgers from Remy's and he presented Beckett with a strawberry shake. She gave him such a sweet smile that he had to work very hard to keep from kissing the strawberry foam off her lips.

Finally Castle came to Beckett's desk. "I've got something. Marnie was Meacham's second wife. His first one was Lacey Cobert, daughter to Brick Cobert, the Vice President of Marchess Oil."

"What has that got to do with anything, Castle?" Beckett asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but where there is money and power, things happen."

"One of your conspiracy theories, Castle?"

"I'm working on it," Castle told her.

They all worked until about seven o'clock when their backs and shoulders were stiff and their eyes blurry. Castle got up and stretched. "I need to talk to some other twisted minds. I'm going to the poker game with Connelly and Lehane."

"OK Castle," Beckett agreed. "I'll go back to the loft in a little while."

Beckett actually stayed at 12th for another four hours. When she returned to the loft, Pi was asleep on the couch. Beckett knew that it would be a while before Castle came home. Poker games usually lasted at least until midnight. Beckett stripped off her clothes, put on one of Castle's t-shirts and climbed into bed.

Alexis looked through the bars of her cage. Dad was coming. He took her hand through the bars and told her that no matter what, it would be all right."Get down," he said and the world rocked with light and sound. He put his watch on the bars, telling her to watch her eyes. Then there was another explosion and he disappeared in a blinding flash. She was in the dark, closed in and beating her fists against solid metal, screaming. She couldn't stop screaming.

Beckett heard Alexis' screams echo through the loft. Beckett ran to the great room to see Pi bounding up the stairs. She followed him. Alexis was thrashing back and forth in bed, her arms outstretched as if pushing against something. "Dad!" she called. "No, Dad!"

Pi grabbed her shoulders. "Alexis, babe, you've got to wake up." Alexis opened her eyes but when Pi tried to hold her, she pushed him away and ran to her bathroom. Beckett followed, finding Alexis retching over the toilet. She held Alexis' hair back and put a hand on Alexis' forehead until the sickness stopped. Then she gave Alexis a glass of water to drink and washed her face with a damp washcloth. "Better?" Beckett asked. Alexis nodded and Beckett pulled Alexis' head down to her shoulder and held her. "I've had nightmares too," Beckett told her. "For a while after I was shot, I had them every night."

Alexis lifted her head. "What did you do?" she asked. Beckett took a long deep breath. "I got help," she said.

Beckett helped Alexis back to bed and she and Pi sat with her until she fell asleep. When they went downstairs again, Beckett asked Pi if Alexis had nightmares before. Pi nodded and told the story.

"Alexis and I were taking the same bus in Costa Rica. I was late and almost didn't catch it. Alexis was trying to get her luggage into the cargo compartment. She climbed in to push everything back and the lid must have slammed shut. The bus had one of those really noisy Diesel engines, very uncool. No would could hear her yelling. I opened the compartment to put my backpack in and she was there, really scared. I pulled her out. That's how we met. She dreams about it. That's why I burned sage in her room, to keep the dreams away."

Beckett just shook her head. "No wonder," she said.

Beckett heard Castle's key in the lock. She met him at the door and took his hand saying, "We have to talk."

They sat on the edge of the bed together. "What is it?" Castle asked.

Beckett told him what she had learned about Alexis. "Do you see, Castle? Getting closed up in that luggage compartment was her trigger, like the paper doll sniper was for me. All the fear from Paris, from everything, is coming in on her. She needs help now."

"Who do we call?" Castle asked.

"I'll call Dr. Burke for a recommendation in the morning – or later this morning," Beckett told him.

"OK," Castle agreed. He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Kate."

Beckett kissed him. "Love you too."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Alexis was sleeping in, there was no whir from Pi's juicer. Castle held Beckett, drawing comfort from her closeness, the heat of her body, and the beat of her heart. The thought of the terror his daughter was suffering chilled him to the bone. He realized that Pi, in his own way, had been trying to help, but burning sage was not going to do it. It would be hard to wait the couple of hours until Beckett could call Burke's office. Beckett pressed closer, slowly opening her eyes and reaching up to stroke his hair. "How are you?" she asked.

"It hurts," he told her, "to see someone I love in that much pain. I just want to take it away, cure it with a kiss or a band-aid like I did when she was a kid.'

Beckett ran her fingertips across his cheekbones and down his face."We'll get her help, Castle. She'll get better."

Castle gently kissed her lips. "I know. I just want it to happen now."

Beckett laid her head on his shoulder and held his hand. "I know," she told him.

They held each other until Beckett's cell alarm went off.

The case was actually a welcome distraction. Beckett and Castle discussed it at the kitchen counter over lattes and scrambled eggs. "Did you get anything useful from your poker pals?" Beckett asked.

"I might have," Castle answered. "Marchess Oil is fighting a big battle. They want to start fracking in the Catskills. All the local residents are against it. The area is full of organic farmers that service the upscale restaurants in New York City. They're afraid that their water supply will be contaminated by the fracking chemicals. At best, their produce would no longer be considered organic. At worst it would be inedible. Brick Cobert is spearheading the fight against the farmers. Any dirt on Cobert could damage Marchess. There might have been something in those records."

"So you're saying that there was some old evidence against Brick Cobert and he got his former son-in-law to get rid of it. How? He didn't pay him. Meacham had to get Marnie to steal the money for Strong."

"Maybe Cobert had something on Meacham," Castle suggested. "I don't know."

"Pretty thin, Castle," Beckett said. "but I don't have anything better – – - at least not yet."

Beckett called Dr. Burke's office from the cab on the way to the 12th. Dr. Burke recommended Dr. Lauren Temple, a specialist in working with traumatized teens. Castle wanted to meet Dr. Temple before taking Alexis, so he arranged to take an appointment in a slot cleared by a cancellation at four o'clock that afternoon. Beckett said she'd go with him.

Castle spent his time at the 12th digging up information on Marchess Oil and Brick Cobert. Beckett concentrated on George Meacham. Esposito reported that there were no calls of interest in Meacham's phone records except for some to and from a burner phone, which couldn't be traced. Ryan was still going through Meacham's financials but had not found any unusual payments. He did find that Meacham was steadily employed and relatively free from debt. If he had petitioned the court for custody of his kids, he might have succeeded, at least until his arrest.

Castle and Beckett continued to work the case, taking a short break for lunch during which they ate pizza that Castle ordered in, until it was time to go see Dr. Temple. Temple's office was soothingly furnished in shades of blue and green. The chairs were comfortable and the tables in the waiting room contained a number of teen publications. Dr. Temple indicated that Castle and Beckett should sit on the couch in her office. She drew up a chair opposite them.

"Mr. Castle," Dr. Temple asked, "how old is your daughter?"

Castle told her that Alexis was nineteen.

"Then you understand that the choice has to be hers," Dr. Temple said. "She is no longer a minor. If she does decide to see me, then I can't tell you anything she says without her permission. Ms. Beckett, what is your relationship to Alexis?

"Detective Beckett, Kate corrected and Castle and I are engaged." Castle reached out and took Beckett's hand.

Lauren Temple made a mental note that Beckett called Castle by his last name.

"Mr Castle, assuming that your daughter agrees to see me, what are your concerns?" Temple asked.

Castle told the story of Alexis' abduction, carefully leaving Jackson Hunt out of the story. Beckett reported on Alexis's nightmare and the information she had garnered from Pi.

"Mr. Castle, I can certainly see why you want to get some help for your daughter. If she agrees to see me, I'm certainly willing to try to help her." Castle and Beckett stood, shook hands with Dr. Temple, and left.

"I need to go back to the loft and talk to Alexis," Castle said, as they left Temple's office.

"Of course," Beckett agreed. "I'll go with. Ryan or Espo will call if anything pops." They took a cab back to the loft. On the trip, Beckett put her head on Castle's shoulder and held his hand.

In the loft Alexis lay on the couch with her head in Pi's lap. Castle pulled up a chair and took her hand. "Kate told me what happened last night," He told her. "Do you remember when you went to sleep in the mall and I thought I lost you?"

Alexis nodded.

"Well I was never more scared than that day, until Paris. I would have done anything to get you back, to make everything OK again."

"You did."Alexis said.

"It's not OK. You're not OK. You're in pain. I wish I could kiss the boo boo and make everything better like I did when you were a little girl, but I can't fix this. You need more than I can give you. I want you to talk to someone who can help.

Alexis looked at Castle and looked at Pi. Pi nodded and leaned down and kissed her hair.

"OK, Dad," Alexis agreed.

Castle decided to seal the deal with a happy face pancake supper. Pi stuck to his fruit, but Castle, Beckett, Alexis, Martha and Pi all managed to eat together at the table. Beckett could see the tension drain out of Castle's body.

As a gift to Beckett, Castle played recent episodes of Temptation Lane for her on the screen in his office while he wrote. After the tension and the previous late night, exhaustion finally settled in. Holding hands, they retired to the bedroom. Slowly they undressed each other, pressing gentle kisses where the clothing had been. Their lovemaking was calming and soothing as they stroked each others' bodies into total relaxation until they fell asleep in in each others' arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Castle awoke at four A.M., his mind spinning. He was anxious to get Alexis to Dr. Temple, but he couldn't do anything about that for hours. Beckett looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her, so he went in to his office and opened his laptop. He had reached a stopping place in his current story, so he decided to stream a movie. He found one that he felt was at least remotely related to the case, a documentary about fracking called Gasland.

Beckett reached for Castle and found the bed beside her cold. Opening her eyes, she could see that the bed was empty. She found him in his office, the credits of a movies on the screen of his laptop. Leaning down, She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and pressed her cheek into his hair. He reached up and took her hand. "We have some time before the alarm goes off Castle, come back to bed. Keeping hold of her hand, Castle got up and followed Beckett. Beckett pushed Castle down to sit on the bed and climbed on to his lap, facing him with her long legs wrapped around his waist. With her arms wrapped around his neck she threaded the fingers of both hands into his hair and kissed his lips, hard. Arms around Beckett, Castle used his weight to push her onto the bed beneath him. His lips found hers, moving to her chin, her neck, her collarbone, and her breasts, hands pulling off her sleep shirt and throwing it to the floor. Beckett arched her body to meet him until they came together, heat growing until their passion exploded and they lay spent next to each other, holding hands.

The cell alarm sounded and Beckett reached up a hand to shut it off. She sat up and put a hand on Castle's shoulder. "Castle, time to get up," she said.

"Castle groaned," I thought I already did that."

Beckett smiled and smacked his chest. "Let's go!"

They took quick showers with the heads adjusted to needle spray, got dressed and walked through the great room to the kitchen. Pi's clothes were, as usual, strewn all over the floor. Castle looked at them in disgust. Pi was sitting up on the couch, rubbing his eyes. He grinned, but Castle gave him a dirty look. "It's a little early for an obstacle course, Pi," Castle said, pointing at the mess on the floor.

"Sorry Mr. C, Pi said starting to pick up.

Castle made lattes. "Let's take those to go, Castle," Beckett said. "I want to get going."

"You go ahead," Castle told her, pouring her cup into her traveling mug. "I'm going to work here for a while and see if I can get an appointment for Alexis with Dr. Temple today. If I can get one, I'll take her."

"OK, Castle," Beckett told him. "Call me."

"I will," Castle agreed.

Beckett decided to go see Lacy Cobert, who lived in an apartment overlooking Central Park West. She took Ryan with her, thinking that his vest and tie would be more welcome in the neighborhood. Looking at the building, Beckett estimated that if you had to ask the price of an apartment, you couldn't afford it. Lacy invited Becket and Ryan to sit with her in what she called the salon.

"Ms. Cobert," Beckett began,"We've come to talk to you about George Meacham."

"I hope you're throwing away the key," Lacy told them. "The man is a cheating bastard."

"Actually," Beckett told her, "We're locking him up for conspiracy to plant a bomb, among other things. Obviously you won't be a character witness. Can you tell us about anyone who might want to involve Meacham in a bombing."

"I have no idea," Lacy said, "I haven't seen him in years, but he did have a real talent for getting into trouble. He liked to bet money he didn't have. That can make some people very unhappy."

"Anyone in particular?" Ryan asked, notebook in hand.

"No," Lacy told him, "as I said, I haven't seen him, but he did like to hang around pool halls, the sleazier the better."

Standing up Beckett thanked Lacy. She handed her a card telling her to call if she thought of anything. "Looks like we're checking out pool hustlers," she told Ryan as they walked to the car.

"Javi has a friend in Vice," Ryan said. "maybe he can put out some feelers."

"Call him," Beckett said.

Castle got Alexis an eleven o'clock appointment with Lauren Temple. Alexis asked if they could take the Ferrari, because she wanted the feeling of openness. That was fine with Castle. It meant that there was no room for Pi. Castle fidgeted in the waiting room until Alexis came out. She gave him a hesitant smile. "Chinese?" Castle asked.

"Chinese," Alexis agreed.

"Anything you want to tell me?" Castle asked over moo shoo pork and cashew chicken.

Alexis nodded while she smiled. "Dr. Temple wants to try a new therapy that they developed for vets from Afghanistan. She says if I think about bad memories when I take a drug called propranolol, they may not be as painful. I won't forget, but it may be easier to cope."

"Is that what you want to do?" Castle asked.

"I'm going to research it," Alexis told him.

Castle smiled. "That's my brilliant daughter."

As they left the restaurant, Castle asked Alexis if she was ready to go back to the loft. "Would it be all right if I just spend some time with my dad?" she asked.

Castle put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Of course. How about the museum? I haven't seen the mummies in years, not since I broke the curse."

Alexis laughed. "Great."

Castle called Beckett to let her know what he was doing. She told him that she and Esposito would be checking out Meacham's possible gambling debts. They agreed to meet at the loft later.

When Castle returned to the loft, he dropped Alexis off and went to park the car. Beckett arrived at almost the same time. She and Alexis took the elevator together. Suddenly the elevator lurched to a stop and the light went out.

Alexis started to beat her fists against the door. "I need to get out!" she yelled.

"Alexis," you need to breathe," Beckett told her.

"I can't," Alexis sobbed, shaking.

Beckett wrapped her arms around Alexis and pulled her down to sit on the floor against the wall. "You dad knows we're here. He'll get us out. You just need to hang in until then. Take a breath with me. Just count it. Breath in count eight. Breath out, count eight. Beckett breathed and counted, bringing Alexis with her.

Slowly, Alexis stopped shaking. They heard Castle calling. Beckett saw the door open to reveal Castle and the building maintenance supervisor. Beckett kept an arm around Alexis who clung to her until they were out of the elevator and Alexis was safe in her father's arms. When they got back to the loft, Alexis ran to Pi, who kissed her and sat on the couch holding her.

Castle and Beckett retreated to the office where they stood, face to face, arms at each others' backs. "How are you?" Castle asked.

"I'm fine Castle. I'm not afraid of the dark."

"I've noticed," Castle told her, but it's a little early for that. What's going on with the case?

"Lacy Cobert told Ryan and me that Meacham was a gambler with a weakness for pool. Esposito reached out to his friend in Vice who gave us a couple of possibilities. We found one guy in Brooklyn. Esposito gave him some mild persuasion."

"I bet!" Castle retorted.

Beckett laughed. He told us that Meacham owed him big until a couple of weeks ago.

"And then he didn't," Castle finished.

"And then he didn't" Beckett agreed. "Now we just have to find out where Meacham got the money."

"Brick Cobert." Castle said.

"Conjecture, Castle," Beckett told him, "we still need some proof."

"We'll get it," Castle told her, kissing the tip of her nose.

Alexis came to the door of the office. "Detective Beckett, I just wanted to say thanks, for what you did in the elevator and the other night. I was really freaked out and you were there for me."

"Alexis, I understand freaking out, more than I hope you'll ever know. I needed help. You need help. I get it."

"Thank you anyway," Alexis said, putting her arms around Beckett. Castle put an arm around each of them and drew them close.

Castle decided to make a celebratory Pasta Carbonara. Martha was presiding over student performances at her acting school, but Castle, Beckett, and Alexis all ate the pasta. Pi stuck with his fruit, but joined them at the table. Alexis started to clean up. Castle put a large hand on Pi's shoulder and softly suggested that he help his girlfriend. Pi joined Alexis in her chores.

Castle returned to his office to research propranolol therapy. Beckett stood behind him looking over his shoulder. Alexis was doing similar research on her laptop at the kitchen counter. "It looks real, Castle," Beckett said, "but it is Alexis' decision."

"I know," Castle told her.

"C'mon Castle," Beckett said rubbing his shoulders."Let's try some therapy of our own."

Castle closed his laptop with a snap - and a Castle grin.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Castle lay in bed just holding Kate. Last night's therapy session had included ice cubes and the heat that followed. Looking at her, he could still feel the warmth. He wished that he could just stay there holding her, but knew that the alarm would be going off any minute. An interruption came even before the alarm. There was a knock at the door. At least whoever it was, was knocking, he thought. That was a definite improvement. He pulled the sheet up a little higher, and called "Come in!"

It was Alexis. "Dad," she told him, "I've decided to have the propranolol therapy.

"If that's what you want, I'll call Dr. Temple and set it up," Castle said.

"No," Alexis protested. Dr. Temple said that therapy is my responsibility. I need to take care of this without depending on you. I just wanted to let you know about my decision."

"If that's what you need," Castle told her, "I'll support you. You know that. Just let me know if you need anything from me."

"I will, Alexis agreed. "Love you." Alexis kissed Castle's cheek.

Castle squeezed her hand. "Love you too."

Alexis left the room. Beckett opened her eyes.

"Did you hear that?" Castle.

Beckett nodded. "Are you all right with this?" she asked.

Castle drew her close, nuzzling her neck. "I'm fine."

The alarm buzzed. "I was fine," Castle groaned.

After grabbing their lattes, Castle and Beckett left for the 12th, but not before Castle told Alexis one last time to call if she needed anything and Pi waved from behind a fruit laden counter saying "It's all cool, Mr. C."

Beckett and Castle were greeted by Ryan."We found something in Meacham's financials. He had an account in the name of one of his kids. About the time he paid off his gambling debt, he got a $50,000 transfer, which was immediately withdrawn – in cash.

"Where did the money come from?" Beckett asked.

"It came from a bank in the Kamen Islands. There is no name on the account, but that bank does a lot of business with Marchess Oil."

Castle gave a little yelp and covered his mouth. "Sounds like we need to do some fracking on Brick Cobert."

Beckett shook her head and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling at Castle. Beckett and Castle went to see Brick Cobert at Marchess' corporate offices in the financial district. They had to make it through lobby security, two receptionists and a personal assistant, but they were finally ushered into Cobert's office. Cobert exhibited all the hallmarks of success. The perfect fit of his suit indicated that it was custom made. His teeth were dazzling white, and his office perfectly appointed with a huge desk and thick carpet. After shaking his hand, Beckett had to resist an impulse to wash. "Detective, Mr. Castle," what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Cobert," Beckett began, "do you know a George Meacham?"

"Unfortunately I do," he told her. "He was married to my daughter, but I haven't seen him in years."

"Meacham received a $50,000 payment from a bank in the Kamen Islands," Beckett told him. "Would you have any idea who would give him that kind of money?"

"No idea," Cobert answered. "Only an idiot would give that man a dime."

"The Kamen Bank does a lot of business with Marchess. Do you know of anyone here who would be doing any business with Meacham?"

Cobert snorted derisively. "No one here would be stupid enough to touch that jerk with a ten foot pole."

"Your daughter did," Castle quipped.

Cobert fixed Castle with an icy stare. "She was in love," Mr. Castle. "That's almost a synonym for stupid."

"Thank you for you time, Mr. Cobert," Beckett interjected. "Let's go, Castle."

As soon as they made it through the outer doors of Marchess, Castle grabbed Beckett's left hand, rubbing his thumb over her ring. "If love makes you stupid, I'm the dumbest guy in the city."

"Can't be Castle," she replied, "because that would make me stupid too, and I'm way too smart for the room."

"Good," Castle said, "then you can figure out how we nail this slimeball."

"I already have," Beckett told him. "Lunch?"

"What turns you on?"

"I think you already know that, Castle, but right now I'm talking about food. How about Thai?"

"Always up for the spicy stuff," Castle agreed.

Castle and Beckett picked up some Thai take-out for themselves and Ryan and Esposito to bring back to the 12th. While they were waiting for their order, Castle called Alexis. She told him that she had an appointment with Dr. Temple for the next day for propranolol therapy. Beckett could see the look of nervousness descending on Castle's face and laid a comforting hand on his arm.

After a quick lunch with Castle at her desk, Beckett called Larry Pick and asked him to come in. He told her that he was busy and that Beckett would have to come to see him at his office. When Beckett and Castle arrived at Larry Pick's office on the upper East Side, his personal assistant told them that he was with a client and would have to wait. "Still a dick," Castle said in a stage whisper.

"Mr. Pick," Beckett began when she and Castle were finally shown into the office, "we have a pretty good idea who your client is taking his orders from. This is probably his last chance to make a deal."

"The terms are the same," Pick said. "my client walks and gets witness protection."

"That's not on the table," Beckett told him. "We are very close to an arrest."

Pick gave a reptilian smile. "If you had enough for an arrest you wouldn't be here. Have a good day, Detective, Mr. Castle. My assistant will show you out."

"He didn't go for it," Castle said on the way out. "What now?"

"We need to talk to a muse," Beckett said to Castle's look of complete confusion.

Beckett called Officer Hastings. "Hey Detective," the former superhero said, "how can I help you?"

"Not you," Beckett said, "Paul."

Paul Whitaker met Beckett and Castle at the 12th. "I owe you Detective," he said."What do you need?"

"I just need the city to find out somehow that we are very close to arresting the party behind the bombing in our precinct, strictly on deep background, of course."

"Whitaker nodded. "I understand."

"Thank you," Beckett said.

"Always a pleasure to fight crime, Detective," Paul replied.

"Leaking to the press again, Beckett?" Castle teased after Whitaker left.

"Why Mr. Castle," Beckett replied," I don't know what you mean."

Beckett and Castle returned to the loft. Alexis and Pi were eating papaya steaks, but Castle noted with satisfaction that the counter, floor, and sink were clean. Feeling a sudden need for red meat, Castle made rib eyes for himself and Beckett. While he cooked, Beckett made a large tossed salad. They took the food, a fat candle and a stereo dock for Castle's I-phone up for a romantic dinner in in the roof garden. Dancing to the music after dinner, Beckett looked up into Castle's sapphire eyes. "Well, Mr. Castle, what now?"

Castle trailed a finger from her cheek, down her neck, to the top button on her blouse.

"Detective Beckett," he replied. "I know just what to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was another nervous morning for Castle, both because of Alexis' impending therapy and even more because he couldn't be there. He was awake before the sun and Beckett with him, roused by his restless motion. Beckett ran her hands softly over his chest, his arms, and through his hair in an effort to sooth. When that didn't seem to be working, she got up and turned on the shower, adjusting it to a gentle warm spray.

On returning to the bedroom, Beckett took both of Castle's hands and led him to the softly streaming water. She drew a warm cloth over every inch of his skin and he returned the favor, licking water from her lips and her breasts and replacing it with featherlight kisses. Castle picked her up in his arms, carrying her, still wet, back to the bed. The loving was slow, and then it wasn't, until a shower of sparks greeted the sunrise. Kate rested, head on Castle's warm chest, until the cell alarm buzzed.

After showers that were separate and therefore quick, Castle and Beckett found Alexis and Pi in the kitchen. "Hey Mr C," Pi called, "I'm making Alexis an extra energy smoothie, you want one?"

"No thanks, Pi," Castle replied scanning the kitchen floor for banana peels or other hazards to reaching his coffee maker. "We'll take caffeine." The way seemed clear, so he started lattes and looked for ingredients for omelets. He found eggs, cheese and mushrooms, and while Castle cooked them, Beckett made bacon.

Before they ate, Castle got the Ledger from outside the front door and handed it to Beckett. She flipped through until she found Paul Whitaker's "Crime Beat," reporting that the police were close to another arrest in the 12th Precinct bombing." With a self-satisfied smile Beckett told Castle, "He did it."

Before leaving with Beckett for the precinct, putting his hands gently on her shoulders, Castle told Alexis that if she was unsure of anything or needed anything, to call him and he would come no matter what. "I know Dad," Alexis said, hugging him, "but I need to handle this. I'll call you after."

Castle drove the Ferrari to the 12th so that he wouldn't have to worry about getting a cab if Alexis called. Beckett knew better than to try to talk him out of worrying about his daughter, so she just put a hand on his thigh while he drove. They did get to the 12th in record time. As soon as they got there, Beckett made a call to Larry Pick.

"Counselor," she said, "anyone who reads the paper is going to think that your client rolled. We can protect him, but you better come in now." Pick grudgingly agreed and came to the 12th for a bargaining session."

Beckett sat across from Pick in interrogation with Castle beside her.

"I think you're bluffing," Pick said. "You planted that story and you have nothing."

"You want to explain that to Marchess Oil?" Beckett asked. Pick visibly paled. "We traced the $50,000 your client got before the bombing," Beckett continued. "We know George's connection with Roger Cobert. We can do this on our own, but it will take a little while to wrap it up nice and neat. If your client helps us to do it faster, we can help him."

"What does he get?' Pick asked.

"He gets to stay alive," Beckett told him.

Beckett and Castle met Pick in the room where George Meacham was confined at the hospital. On Pick's advice, Meacham gave Beckett his statement, implicating Roger Cobert. With Meacham's statement, it was straightforward to get an arrest warrant for Cobert and a search warrant for Marchess. As Beckett was assembling a force to go pick him up, Castle's phone rang with Alexis' distinctive signal. She told him that the therapy session was over and she was back at the loft. Castle asked if he should meet her there, but she said that she was fine and would see him later.

"Dad," Alexis said,"Go watch Beckett make the big bust." Castle smiled into his phone and turned to follow Beckett. Cobert was arrested and trucks full of records from Marchess were seized.

Castle and Beckett returned to the loft to find Alexis preparing a feast. The table was festively set with bright napkins and colorful plates. She had everything in place for quick preparation of chicken piccata. Despite Pi's fruitarian status, Alexis had recruited him to tear lettuce and slice vegetables for a salad. He especially did the tearing with great enthusiasm. Martha had come home to join them, but restricted her participation in the preparations to picking out the wine. Alexis talked a little about her therapy over dinner. She told them that it was hard, having to think about the things that happened, but she felt better by being able to take control of her life. She would be continuing therapy with Dr. Temple for a while, but she was optimistic that things would work out.

After the dishes were cleared away, Alexis brought out dessert, a cake that bore the inscription "Congratulations Kate." Beckett looked at it in complete confusion. "What's this for?" she asked.

"That's for taking down the big guy in the bombing, and being back at the NYPD, and saying yes to Dad, although I'm not sure you deserve congratulations for that last one.

"Hey!" yelled Castle. "I'm a best selling author."

"So you keep reminding us," Martha commented dryly.

Beckett hugged Alexis, who hugged back.

Castle enlisted Martha to help clean up, since Alexis cooked, and Beckett was celebrating. Alexis and Pi cuddled on the couch in front of a movie. Beckett took her glass of wine and retired to the bedroom. After clean-up was complete, Castle brought in his own wine and sat behind her on the bed, pulling her into his lap.

"That was quite a meal, Castle," Beckett said.

"Oh, I don't know,"Castle replied dipping his finger in his wine, touching it to her neck, and nibbling at the spot, "I think we're just starting."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Beckett was dreaming of boxes. They were everywhere in the precinct, piled to the ceiling, blocking the hallways, forming a claustrophobic wall around her desk. As they closed in on her, she saw Castle sitting in the familiar chair by her desk. The boxes were starting to slip, coming in to crush them both. She needed to push him out of the way. "Castle," she yelled.

Castle awoke to find Beckett on top of him, calling his name. "Beckett," he said, stroking the side of her face, "Kate, wake up!"

Beckett opened her eyes, "Oh, Castle, I was dreaming."

"I noticed. Are you OK?"

Beckett sighed, flexing her shoulders. "Yeah, it's just the prep for the Roger Cobert trial. Going through all that paper from Marchess, the more I see the dirtier it looks. Most of it doesn't have anything to do with the conspiracy to commit the bombing, but there is fraud and bribery and outright lying."

`"It offends your sense of justice, I get it, but right now all you need is the evidence for the conspiracy trial. Just concentrate on that. After you nail Cobert, we'll find a way to take care of the rest of it," Castle told her.

Beckett kissed his lips. "I love your optimism," she said continuing to trail kisses down his chin, his neck, and down to his chest, "and the rest of you."

Castle rolled her over reversing positions and blazed his own trail down her body. "Then I guess I'll just have to keep spreading the joy."

Even freshly energized, Beckett and Castle were not eager to tackle the mountains of paper they still had to go through. Castle made pancakes and they lingered over lattes, which Castle had carefully topped with milky leaves as a celebration of future ecological triumph. Martha had left to teach an early class and Alexis and Pi had gone out the door at the same time, saying they had a special project. The frothy goodness could be enjoyed in peace. "I could get used to this,"Castle said."

"Maybe you will, Castle. "Doesn't Alexis go back to school in a few days?" Beckett asked.

Castle grimaced. "Yeah, but Pi."

"Maybe she can keep him under her desk like a pet poodle." Beckett suggested.

Castle thought about it. "He's got the hair," he agreed, "but I don't like to think of him under her skirt"

"Mmmmm," Beckett acknowledged. "I'm sure you don't."

When they couldn't stall any longer, Beckett and Castle took a cab to the 12th. They had worked out a system. Castle speed read his way through a box, pulling out any documents he thought might be useful and turning them over to Beckett. Beckett tried to connect what he gave her to other facts in the case. It was slow going, but they were having success. They found a connection to the account in the Kamen Islands used to pay Meacham's gambling debt and they found evidence that Roger Cobert had access to it. They had yet to establish that he had actually transferred the funds. They also hadn't discovered the secret that Cobert had been trying to cover up at the precinct. It was possible that they never would uncover that piece of dirt, as the records were in ashes, but it wasn't really necessary to get a conviction. Of course Castle wanted to know anyway, because it was a missing piece of the story.

Beckett was rolling her shoulders to try to get the kinks out. Castle saw her discomfort and started to give her a massage. "Castle," she whispered, "workplace."

"Right," Castle agreed. "C'mon, let's take a break."

"Where are we going, Castle?"

Castle just guided Beckett with a hand at the small of her back, to the same secret nook Beckett had led the problem documentary makers who had once invaded the precinct. Castle closed the door of the maintenance closet and blocked it with a rolling cart turned sideways. "We'll relax those muscles," he told Beckett.

Beckett and Castle came out of the closet with Beckett still finger combing her hair into place, and ran straight into a smirking Esposito. "Got something, Beckett." he said handing her a folder. It was a file on the divorce between George Meacham and Lacy Cobert, not court records, but information gathered by a private investigator named Feeney. Beckett would have expected that Feeney had been trying to get dirt on Meacham for Lacy, but in fact, he was digging up dirt on Lacy for Meacham. "Let's get Feeney in here," Beckett said.

Colm Feeney was the perfect private investigator, perfectly average. He was of average height with no distinctive coloring. He could stand in the middle of a room and be totally unnoticed. That made him very good. He sat in the interview lounge with Beckett and Castle.

"Mr. Feeney," Beckett told him, "we are working on the case against Roger Cobert and George Meacham. We know that you investigated Lacy Cobert for Meacham's divorce and we believe that what you uncovered on Lacy Cobert is related to the bombing of this precinct. We really need to know your findings."

"You're probably right about that," Feeney told her, "because that bombing may have been done to cover up a murder."

"Weren't we talking about a divorce?" Castle asked.

"That's only part of it," Feeney told him."George Meacham hired me to dig up something on Lacy Cobert. He suspected that there was another man. There wasn't, but there was another woman, a Karen Coman. I had pictures of Lacy and Karen together, but before they ever made it to court, Karen was murdered. The police, actually your precinct, suspected that Roger Cobert had something to do with it, but couldn't find any evidence. It was a cold case."

"The records would have been in the basement," Beckett said.

"Bingo!" Feeney said.

"So," Castle added excitedly, "he doesn't just murder the environment, he may have committed an actual murder!"

Beckett rolled her eyes, but smiled.

Beckett started a new murder board for Karen Coman. The first person they needed to talk to was George Meacham. Unfortunately that meant yet another conversation with Larry Pick.

Arriving at Pick's office, Beckett flashed her badge and just marched in, with Castle close behind.

"Counselor, your client didn't tell us everything," Beckett told him.

"Detective, I don't know what you're talking about. George told you all about Roger Cobert."

"Except the part about Lacy Cobert's murdered lesbian lover," Castle put in.

Pick looked genuinely confused. "I still don't know what you're talking about. I need to talk to my client. I'll call you."

"Make it soon," Beckett told him and she and Castle left.

"Back to the paper?" Castle asked.

Beckett shook her head. "We should talk to Meacham first and I'm starving."

"Now that you mention it...," Castle said, "Pizza?"

"Pizza," Beckett agreed.

They brought two large sun dried tomatoes and basil pizzas back to the loft. There was enough to share with Alexis and still have leftovers, especially since Pi stuck, as always to his fruit. Over dinner, they discussed the endless boxes of evidence of Marchess' involvement in fraudulent fracking.

"I have an idea," Alexis told them. "How about if I get a group of environmental science majors from Columbia to help go through those boxes? They could probably do it for credit and I know they'd love to get those guys. School starts in a couple of days, but I could start sending out e-mails now."

Beckett let out a yell and hugged Alexis. "I'll have to clear this with Gates, but if she OK's it, that would be great!" Beckett exclaimed. Beckett pulled out her cell and made the call. Gates welcomed the help, especially if it would get the boxes out of the 12th. Alexis went to her laptop to get started.

Beckett's cell buzzed. It was Larry Pick setting up a meeting with Meacham in the morning. Meacham was out of the hospital and under guard in the infirmary at Riker's. Pick would meet Beckett and Castle there at 10:00 A.M..

"It looks like we have a free evening," Castle said, pulling Beckett to him.

"We've already eaten," Castle said. "We could watch TV."

"Or a movie," Beckett suggested.

"Or read," Castle added.

"We could do that," Beckett agreed, "but I have another idea."

"What could that be?" Castle asked.

Beckett took his hand and led him toward the bedroom. "I'll just have to show you."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Castle and Beckett were two spoons. Holding her, Rick marveled that after their educational session the night before he still wanted more, but it seemed that with Kate he always wanted more. He pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot on her neck and she stirred, rubbing back against him. The intensity of his need grew. He couldn't stop and he didn't want to. He turned her around to face him, tasting her lips, her chin, her jaw, and her neck. Eyes still closed, Kate took her taste of him, first one lip, then the other, down his chin and lower. He pulled her closer, leaving no air between their bodies to cool the heat. Sheets and blankets were pushed to the floor as they touched each other everywhere, unable to get close enough, until they joined as one. Still it wasn't enough. They were climbing a mountain, pulling each other to the summit. Finally the desperation exploded into shards and they lay quietly entwined.

As usual, the alarm intruded. Time was critical today because of their their appointment with Pick and Meacham on Rikers Island. The showers were short and functional and the dressing swift.

Alexis and Pi had again left the loft in the early hours. Unimpeded in the kitchen, Castle loaded up traveling mugs. Beckett and Castle took a cab to the 12th to pick up Beckett's official vehicle and headed to Rikers Island.

Larry Pick was late, not arriving until 11:00. "We could have had a really nice breakfast, or even brunch," Castle whined.

"I thought we did," Beckett teased.

Castle gave her a crooked smile, "that was delicious, but I meant food."

"We'll make up for it later, Castle, my treat," Beckett told him.

"OK," he agreed,"but I get to pick the restaurant."

When Pick finally arrived, they met again with Meacham using a visiting room, as he was no longer in the infirmary.

"Mr. Meacham," Beckett said,"tell us about Karen Coman.

"Who?" Meacham asked, feigning innocence.

"Your ex-wife's lover, the one you paid Colm Feeney to find out about for you," Beckett reminded him.

"She's dead." Meacham said.

"We know that, Mr. Meacham. The question is, how did she get that way?"

Meacham looked at Pick, who nodded.

"I don't know," Meacham told Beckett. But I do know that I told Lacy that she could expect to pay big. The next thing I know, I hear Karen's dead."

"Did Lacy tell her father?" Castle asked.

"Probably, she ran to him about everything, whiny little bitch. She was a real Daddy's girl. He cleaned up all her messes."

"So how did you make out in the divorce?" Beckett asked.

Meacham snorted. "I got nothin'! I always get nothin'! That's why Cobert could use me the way he did."

"Yeah," Castle intoned,"you're a real victim."

"This," Beckett told Meacham, "is your chance to get Cobert back. You help us and he'll go away for ever."

Meacham looked at Pick again. Pick said "Do it!"

"Cobert has a fixer," Meacham explained. "His name is Riley Miller. They go way back to when they were in high school together. Miller was a jock, but he went after some girl who wasn't interested. Things got rough. The girl reported it, but Cobert swore that Miller was with him the whole time. Since then, whenever Cobert didn't want to get his hands dirty, he called Miller. When it looked like I rolled on Cobert, I was pretty sure that he'd send Miller after me."

"Miller won't be able to go after anyone again," Mr. Meacham. You can count on it," Beckett told him. "I'll let the counselor here," she said indicating Pick, "know if we need anything else." Beckett rose and Castle followed her out.

As soon as they returned to the car, Beckett called Esposito. "I want you and Ryan to get me everything you can get on a Riley Miller. He's been working for Roger Cobert. He may have killed Karen Coman."

"You've got it, boss," Esposito responded.

"All right, Castle," Beckett said, "while they're working on Miller, you can have your lunch."

Castle nuzzled her neck. "You really are good at bossing men around," he told her.

Beckett slid into the driver's seat. "Coming Castle?" she asked.

Castle hastily took shotgun. His choice of restaurant was barbecue, the kind that came with piles of napkins. He looked down at Beckett as they were leaving. "I don't think you got it all." he put a finger to the corner of her mouth, picked up a drop of sauce and put it in his own mouth.

"Castle if you're going to take my food, I need some of yours." She had started to lick an imaginary drop from his chin when he combed his fingers into the hair at the back of her head and drew her mouth to his. The kiss was interrupted by a cough behind them. They were blocking the door to the restaurant. Beckett sighed. "We better go, Castle." Castle scrubbed his hands over his lips and followed her to the car.

Esposito and Ryan had a thick file on Riley Miller. He had been a suspect in two rapes and multiple beatings, but either there were no witnesses or they recanted their testimony. "This is one scary dude," Esposito said.

"Do we have an address on him?" Beckett asked

Ryan walked up. "Nothing recent from the DMV, but we have one from his credit card company."

"We don't have enough for an arrest," Beckett said. "But we can sweat him a little. Go pick him up."

While they waited for Ryan and Esposito to come back, Beckett and Castle updated the murder board and reviewed Roger Cobert's financials looking for links to Riley Miller. They found some transactions on a pocket account that looked promising, but they would require a lot more work to confirm.

Ryan and Esposito brought in Miller, and Esposito sat him down in the box. Beckett headed for the door of the box and Castle started to follow. Beckett put a hand on his arm. "I think I'll do this with Espo," she said. "This guy thinks he's tough and Javi's good for the intimidation factor. Besides, we're going to have to let him go and there's no reason why he needs to remember your face. You can watch from observation."

"I don't want him remembering you face either," Castle protested.

"Rick," she told him. "I'm a cop. I have a gun - two actually. I'll be fine."

"Mr. Miller," Beckett began."We'd like to talk to you about Karen Coman."

"Never heard of her," Miller replied.

"Do you know Roger Cobert?" Beckett continued.

"Sure," Miller answered, "we went to school together."

"How about his daughter Lacy?"

"We've met a couple of times. What of it?" Miller asked innocently.

"Karen Coman was Lacy's lover. She's dead" Beckett told him.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that, Detective, but what's that got to do with me?" Miller responded.

"You killed her."

Miller laughed. "Nicely done, Detective. But if you had any evidence of that, I'd be in cuffs, so I think I'll just be leaving now. It's been fun."

Miller got up and walked out of interrogation. As soon as he was gone, Beckett told Esposito, "Put a team on him, I want to know where he goes and who he talks to, especially Roger Cobert."

"On it!" Esposito responded.

Castle came in the interrogation room to join Beckett. "Smug bastard," she said slapping her file on the table.

"Why shouldn't he be?" Castle asked. "He thinks he can get away with murder."

Becket smiled. "Yeah, so he thinks."

Castle and Beckett spent more time going through Cobert's records looking for connections to Miller. They returned to the loft at about seven o'clock. Alexis and Pi were in their usual spot on the couch. Martha had left a note that she was at an actor's soiree. "What have have two been doing all day?" Castle asked.

"Dad," Alexis told him, eyes sparkling, "we found a place for Pi to live."

Putting his hands around Alexis's waist, Castle picked her up and gave her a sound kiss on the forehead. Pi stood up and Castle hugged him, patting his back. "We're all going to Le Cirque to celebrate!" Castle announced.

"Dad, fruitarian," Alexis said, pointing at Pi.

"We'll get him a fruit salad," Castle replied. "Let's go."

Castle and Beckett returned to the loft from Le Cirque replete and happy. They had shared a Chateaubriand, feeding each other small bites off their forks. Alexis had turned away, apparently feeling an ewww factor, but Castle didn't care. He was getting his house back and all was right with the world. He picked Beckett up, carried her over the threshold of the bedroom and laid her on the bed. Lifting her a little, Castle sat against the headboard with Beckett's head in his lap, twining his fingers in her hair. "You know, he said, "in a couple of days Alexis will be in the dorms and Pi will be in an apartment. Now if we could just get Alexis to find Mother a place..."

"It's been a great night, Castle," Beckett told him. "Don't get too greedy."

"Where some things are concerned," Castle told her, lifting her up to meet his lips, "I'll never have enough."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was storming. A cold front had hit extremely warm air, giving New York City tornado watches, which were expected to expire at ten A.M.. Residents were asked to stay off the streets except in the case of emergencies until then. Castle and Beckett huddled in bed in the dark listening as wind driven sheets of water streamed down the windows.

"Cold?" Castle asked Beckett.

"A little," Beckett replied.

"We'll have to see what we can do about that," Castle whispered throatily, pulling her close.

"I can warm you up too, Castle," Becket breathed, running her hands up and down his back.

"Definitely warming up," Castle told her, kissing her temple and working his way down her jaw.

"Mmmmmm, I can feel it," Beckett purred, pressing herself against him. Body rubbing against body, the heat of their friction rose, pushing back the chill. They moved in time to the beat of the rain against the windows. Their moans mimicked the sound of the wind, rising in intensity until reaching a crescendo as lightning cracked and thunder echoed through the sky.

The storm passed over and light began to filter into the loft. Castle and Beckett took leisurely showers and dressed.

With Alexis still upstairs, Pi slept obliviously on the couch. Castle didn't hurry breakfast much. He'd brought home a doggy bag of Le Cirque's Chateaubriand that he used for a hearty scramble. He also took the time to top the lattes with his signature hearts. He and Beckett ate quietly, wanting to let sleeping Pi's lie. Unable to stall any more, he and Beckett left for the 12th.

Cabs were in short supply and it was still too windy for the Ferrari, so they took Castle's BMW. The streets were littered with debris scattered by the wind and traffic moved slowly, but they finally arrived. The bullpen was half empty, but Esposito was there. He reported that there was no useful news from the team watching Riley Miller, but that Miller was on the move now that the rain had ended. They would be reporting in when he stopped.

While they awaited the report on Miller's destination, Castle and Beckett continued their work with Cobert's records, looking for any Miller connections. "This might be something," Beckett said. Marchess was making regular payments to an R.M. Enterprises for consulting services. While Beckett looked for information on R.M. online, Castle looked for more references to it in the mounds of paper from Marchess. Castle found several cases where landowners had refused to do business with Marchess and changed their minds after R.M. Enterprises had been called in to consult.

Esposito finally got a call from the team on Miller. He had gone to a small office maintained in New York City by a farming co-op from the Catskills. They were just in time to find Miller beating up Bailey Chasen, the farmer serving as the co-op's part time director. They had arrested Miller for assault, found an illegal weapon on him and they were bringing him in.

Miller found himself in the box facing Beckett and Esposito again. Castle had made some popcorn which he shared with a newly arrived Ryan while they watched through the mirror.

"Mr. Miller," Beckett said, "we've got you on assault and an illegal weapons charge. No one is going to recant this time. Your assault was witnessed by two police officers. Your weapon is being tested now for matches to other crimes. If we find a match with the gun that killed Karen Coman, you're done. The only chance you have is to make a deal with us before ballistics come back.

"I want a lawyer," Miller said.

"Fine," Beckett told him. "You'd better hope that he can get here very fast." She made a show of looking at your watch. "You've probably got fifteen minutes."

Miller was allowed to call his attorney. After that, Miller sat silently, but sweating, under the steady stares of Beckett and Esposito.

The lawyer had not yet arrived when Beckett's cell buzzed and she looked at the text. "The report is in, Mr. Miller. Do you have anything to say before I read it?"

"All bravado gone, Miller said, "OK, I'll deal. I'll give you Cobert."

Esposito handed him a pen and paper saying, "Start writing."

After Miller finished his statement and was delivered by Esposito to holding, Beckett got a warrant and she, Castle, Ryan, Esposito and a couple of uniforms went to arrest Roger Cobert. Sputtering with disbelief, Cobert was handcuffed and taken in.

Beckett and Castle returned to the loft, feeling the rush of nailing two murderers. They came through the door to find Pi and the pile of Alexis' boxes gone. "I thought the dorms weren't open until tomorrow, Beckett said.

"I didn't think they were," Castle told her. "Maybe Alexis dropped her stuff off early."

Alexis came down the stairs carrying a couple of small suitcases.

"Alexis, why are you going to the dorm now?" Castle asked.

"Dad," Alexis told him, "I'm not going to the dorm. I going to live with Pi."

Castle's shoulders slumped. "Alexis, you're only nineteen. Give yourself some time to grow up. Pi can take care of himself."

"No he can't. This is New York. It will take both of us to pay for the apartment. I'm going to use my work study money. Besides, you've been saying for years that I'm the only adult in the family."

Castle gave her a teary smile. "That's true."

Alexis threw her arms around Kate's neck, telling her, "Take care of him. He needs it."

"Always," Kate whispered.

"I'll only be five miles away," Alexis told Castle. "You can come to dinner."

Unable to get the words past his throat, Castle could only nod.

Alexis kissed her father's cheek, grabbed her bags and left the loft, closing the door behind her.

Kate led Rick to the bedroom where she kissed the tears from his cheeks and held him until the tears stopped flowing and he found his rest in her arms.

Finis


End file.
